Apple hits Qualcomm with two more antitrust lawsuits

REUTERS/Charles Platiau

Just days after hitting Qualcomm with a $1 billion lawsuit, Apple is doubling down with two more antitrust lawsuits against the chipmaker. As Reuters reports Wednesday, the latest pair of suits were filed by Apple’s subsidiary in China, alleging Qualcomm “abused its clout” in the industry and that the company never made good on its promise to cheaply license its patents.

The first lawsuit seeks around $145 million in damages from Beijing’s Intellectual Property Court, while the second is asking the court to weigh in on Apple and Qualcomm’s licensing deals. A spokesperson for the chipmaker told Reuters that his company had not yet reviewed the latest complaints, but during a regulatory hearing in China in 2015, Qualcomm accused Apple of using such lawsuits in an attempt to get a discount on Qualcomm’s technology.

Earlier this month, the US Federal Trade Commission also filed a complaintaccusing Qualcomm of stifling competition, which led to Apple’s $1 billion lawsuit in California. In that case, Qualcomm has denied Apple’s claims that it “unfairly insisted on charging royalties for technologies [Qualcomm] have nothing to do with.” Qualcomm, for its part, insists Apple gets the same licensing terms as all its other customers and is reportedly planning to countersue.